Blockchain game

ABSTRACT

In one embodiment, a method for playing a blockchain game includes providing to each game player an equal number of transaction cards that each represents a blockchain transaction, each transaction card identifying a transaction value, providing to each game player a single block card that represents a blockchain block, the block card identifying a block value, in a first round of the game, each game player playing one of their transaction cards by adding it to a designated block space to form a block, and in a subsequent round of the game, a game player claiming a block that was created in a previous round, wherein, in order to successfully claim a block, the game player must play a block card having an identified block value that is equal to or greater than the sum of the transaction values of the transaction cards of the claimed block.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to co-pending U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/837,626, filed Apr. 23, 2019, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Blockchain is a newer technology, having first come to prominance with Bitcoin in 2008. In short, a blockchain is a list of digital records, known as blocks, that are linked together using cryptography. A blockchain can serve as a digital ledger to record transactions across many computers so that no record can be retroactively altered without altering of all subsequent blocks. The blocks can hold batches of valid transactions that are hashed and encoded using cryptography.

While the application of blockchain to cryptocurrency well known, there are other applications in which blockchain would be useful because of its unique characteristics. For example, other uses for the technology include secure record-keeping, smart contracts, and management of complex control systems.

Given that blockchain is still a relatively new technology, and further given the variety of its potential applications, it can be appreciated that it would be useful to have a way to teach people, including students as well as the general public, about the fundamentals of the technology.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure can be better understood in detail with reference to the appended drawings (figures). It is to be noted that the drawings only illustrate example embodiments of the disclosed invention and that alternative embodiments can be used and are considered to comprise part of this disclosure.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a gameboard that can be used in the disclosed blockchain game.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate an example of one of multiple transaction cards that can be used in the blockchain game, FIG. 2A showing the front of the card and FIG. 2B showing the back of the card.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate an example of one of multiple block cards that can be used in the blockchain game, FIG. 3A showing the front of the card and FIG. 3B showing the back of the card.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate an example of one of multiple coin cards that can be used in the blockchain game, FIG. 4A showing the front of the card and FIG. 2B showing the back of the card.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example round of gameplay.

FIG. 6A illustrates a block formed at the end of a first round of gameplay.

FIG. 6B illustrates an end of an nth round of gameplay.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Introduction

As described above, it would be useful to have a way to teach people about the fundamentals of the blockchain technology. Disclosed herein is a blockchain game that serves this purpose. In some embodiments, the apparatus of the game includes a gameboard, a plurality of cards, and one or more dice. During game play, the players attempt to claim available blocks, which comprise one or more transaction cards, and add them to a blockchain by playing block cards. When a player successfully claims a block by playing a block card that satisfies certain criteria described below, the player collects “currency” (e.g., in the form of coin cards) that is equivalent to the sum of the transaction values of the transaction cards in the block. The winner is the player who has the greatest amount of currency (e.g., number of coin cards) at the end of the game.

In the following disclosure, specific embodiments are described. It is to be understood that those embodiments are example implementations of the disclosed inventions and that alternative embodiments are possible. Such alternative embodiments include hybrid embodiments that include features from different disclosed embodiments. All such embodiments are intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure.

Game Apparatus

As noted above, the apparatus of the blockchain game can include a gameboard, a plurality of cards, and one or more dice. FIG. 1 shows a layout for an example gameboard 10. As shown in the figure, the gameboard 10 is generally rectangular and includes various indicia printed on its top surface. Generally speaking, the gameboard 10 is divided into an available blocks section 12 and a blockchain section 14. Within the available blocks section 12 are six designated block spaces 16, numbered 1 through 6, on which transaction cards and coin cards (discussed below) can be placed. In the blockchain section 14, there is one designated blockchain space 18 in which claimed “blocks” (also discussed below) can be placed.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate an example of a transaction card 20, which can have the size and construction of a typical playing card. The card 20 includes a front side 22 and a rear side 24. Provided on the front side 22 are the words “Transaction Value:” and a number 26 (the number “5” in this example). On the back side 24 of the card 20 is a decorative graphic 28 that can include the name of the game (“CryptoMiner” in this example). The transaction cards 20 are used to represent a transaction in a typical blockchain-based cryptocurrency. A transaction in a blockchain is typically used as a unit indicating the transfer of money between parties. The transaction cards 20 mimic a transaction in an actual blockchain system. The number 26 on the front of the card 20 is the transaction value, which represents the transaction fee present in an actual blockchain transaction. In some embodiments, these transaction values range from 1 to 5. Each player of the game initially receives an equal number of transaction cards 20, which can be applied (played) by the players over multiple rounds of the game. In some embodiments, there are 60 transaction cards 20 in total.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate an example of a block card 30, which can also have the size and construction of a typical playing card. The card 30 includes a front side 32 and a rear side 34. Provided on the front side 32 are the words “Block Value:” followed by a number 36 (the number “21” in this example), and the words “Chain Symbols:” followed by two chain symbols 38. The block cards 30 mimic a block in a typical blockchain. The value of the block card represents the reward that is received by the player who successfully claims the block and adds it to the blockchain, which, at least initially, is represented by the blockchain space 18. The numbers 36 represent reward values that, in some embodiments, range from 1 to 30, which can be earned by miners in a real blockchain. With further reference to FIG. 3A, there are two chain symbols 38 provided on each block card 30. In some embodiments, the chain symbols 38 can be the symbols typically used to identify the four common “suits” of playing cards (i.e., hearts, spades, clubs, and diamonds). In this example, the card 30 includes the heart symbol and the club symbol as chain symbols.

On the back side 34 of the card 30 is a decorative graphic 40 that is somehow different from that of the transaction cards 20. For example, the graphic 40 can be the same as the graphic 28, but in a different color. This way, the block cards 30 can be distinguished from the transaction cards 20 and vice versa. In some embodiments, there are 70 block cards 30 in total and each player initially receives a single block card (although other block cards can be obtained during gameplay).

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate an example of the final type of card used in the game: a coin card 42. The front side 44 of the card 42 is shown in FIG. 4A and the rear side 46 of the card is shown in FIG. 4B. In some embodiments, both sides 44, 46 of the card 42 can have the same graphic 48, which resembles the graphics typically placed on currency coins. The coin cards 42 represent the cryptocurrency that can be earned by players during gameplay. In some embodiments, the game includes 350 coin cards.

Gameplay

The various components of the game apparatus having been described above, gameplay will now be discussed. Generally speaking, the game mimics the operation of a cryptocurrency blockchain, such as Bitcoin, and includes aspects of strategic competition between cryptocurrency block “miners” who compete with each other to add a new block to the blockchain and get rewarded for doing so. Although the game does not exactly replicate the operation of a cryptocurrency blockchain, the game introduces enough blockchain concepts within gameplay to provide insight to the players as to how blockchains work. In some embodiments, purchasers of the game are entitled to access to free online lectures and videos that provide further education to interested players about the actual operation and technology behind cryptocurrencies and blockchains.

Game Preparation

The various transaction cards 20 are first shuffled and are then equally distributed among the players. Four to six players can play the game. Assuming a total of 60 transaction cards 20, each player receives 15, 12, or 10 transaction cards 20, depending upon the number of players. The various block cards 30 are also shuffled and 1 block card is provided to each player from the shuffled deck. The remaining block cards 30 are set aside facedown in a stack from which individual cards can be drawn by the players during gameplay. The coin cards 42 are also set aside but are not initially distributed to the players. Instead, they can be earned by the players each time a player successfully adds a block to the blockchain. The player who earns the greatest number of coin cards wins the game.

Starting the Game

Each player rolls a die to determine who the starting player will be. Whoever rolls the highest number is the starting player. In the case of a tie, the tied players roll again until the tie is broken. The starting player for the second round is the player who is next to the starting player of the first round moving in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction. The starting player for the third round is the next consecutive player in the selected direction and so on such that there is a new starting player each round and every player has an opportunity to be the starting player at least once.

Playing the First Round

In the first round, the players each select one of their transaction cards 20 to play. Each player is free to play whichever transaction card 20 they wish. The transaction cards 20 selected by the various players are stacked together face up on one of the block spaces 16 (FIG. 1) to represent a block. The sum of the transaction values (i.e., the numbers on the transaction cards 20) is used as the value in coin cards to be earned by a player who successfully adds that block to the blockchain. In order to avoid having to recalculate the sum of transaction values, a number of coin cards 42 equivalent to the summed transaction value are placed on top of the block. FIG. 5 illustrates an example of this. As shown to the left of the arrow in this figure, four transaction cards 20 (one for each of four players in this example) have been played. The transaction values are 2, 4, 1, and 5, so the sum of the transaction values is 12. As shown to the right of the arrow in FIG. 5, the four transaction cards 20 are stacked and, on top of that stack, is a further stack of 12 coin cards 42 to represent the sum of the transaction values. The stack of transaction cards 20 and the stack of coin cards 42 can then be placed on the next available block space 16. Assuming it is the first round, the stacks would be placed on block space #1. This is illustrated in FIG. 6A, which shows the transaction cards 20 and the coin cards 42 stacked on the first block space 16 as a block.

Playing Successive Rounds and Winning the Game

From the second round onwards, players have a choice of either playing a transaction card 20, as described above, or a block card 30. A block card 30 is played when a player wishes to “claim” one of the blocks in the available blocks section 12 of the gameboard 10 and to add the block to the blockchain. The block can be successfully claimed and added to the blockchain when the player plays a block card that (1) has a block value that is equal to or greater than the sum of the transaction values (which is represented by the total number of coin cards 42) and (2) has at least one chain symbol 38 that matches a chain symbol of the block card 30 that was previously used to add the last block onto the blockchain. This is not required for the first block to be added to the block chain.

A player who wishes to claim a block must, during their turn, announce that the player wishes to claim a block and present a block card that satisfies the above-described criteria. However, as other players may also wish to claim the same block, the successful claimant who will add the block to the blockchain and collect a reward is determined at the end of the round. When there is such a dispute, it is resolved by determining which of the players who wish to claim the block has the smallest block value (displayed on their played block card 30) that qualifies to claim the block (i.e., has a block value equal to or greater than the sum of the transaction values and has a matching chain symbol). In case of a tie for the smallest block value, the player whose turn came later in the round is entitled to claim the block.

Notably, the above procedure for determining the successful claimant is similar to disputed block claims in actual blockchains, which are resolved and finalized at the end of each round (an epoch of time). The reason why the player with the smallest block value successfully claims the block is because it emulates the hash puzzle in proof-of-work blockchains in which solving a hash puzzle of minimal difficulty is both economical and more likely to succeed. In addition, it adds a level of complexity to the game by avoiding a situation in which players always use their highest value qualifying block card. Finally, it forces players to strategize future rounds when using a “smallest” block value in the current round, otherwise they risk running out of block values that are more likely to succeed as the game progresses.

When multiple available blocks are claimed in a given round by different players, only the claimed block with the highest transaction value sum (and the greatest number of coin cards 42) are added to the blockchain. As a consequence, players may claim an available block only if the transaction value sum of that block is higher than the transaction value sum of every other block being claimed by another player in the current round. Only the player who successfully claims the block having the highest transaction value sum adds that block (and only that block) to the blockchain (by moving the transaction cards 20 of the block to the blockchain space 18) and collects the coin cards 42. Players who attempted to claim other blocks in that round retain their played block cards 30 without receiving any reward.

The player who successfully adds a block to the blockchain then picks up a new block card 30 from top of the deck of undistributed block cards (set aside at the beginning of the game). The player or players who unsuccessfully claimed the same block (if any) retain the block card 30 that they played in the round. Players who do not wish to play a block card 30 or who do not have a block card that qualifies to claim any of the available blocks must play a transaction card. If one or more players plays a transaction card 20 in the current round, the played transaction cards are placed on a new available block space 16 as a new block following the same procedure as in the first round and the new block will be an available block in the next round. A player can pass (skip) a round if all of the player's transaction cards 20 have already been played. If not, however, the player must play either a transaction card 20 or a block card 30.

Both the actions of creating a new block and adding an available block to the blockchain are performed at the end of the round, i.e., when each player has played a card or passed. FIG. 6B illustrates an example of the gameboard 10 after multiple rounds. As shown in this figure, there are four available blocks positioned on available block spaces 1-4. The first available block (in block space #1) has a transaction value sum of 12, the second available block (in blockspace #2) has a transaction value sum of 9, the third available block (in blockspace #3) has a transaction value sum of 7, and the fourth available block (in blockspace #4) has a transaction value sum of 12. As is apparent from FIG. 6B, no blocks have been added to the blockchain (i.e., no transaction cards 20 are on the blockchain space 18.

If a player is unsatisfied with his or her current block card 30, the player may replace it with a new block card taken from top of the shuffled deck of undistributed block cards, after which the player will again have a single block card. If the player is unsatisfied with the new block card, the player cannot replace it in that round and must instead wait until the next round to replace it. Surrendered block cards 30 can be placed at the bottom of the deck of undistributed block cards. When a player replaces a block card 30 with a new one, that player cannot play the new block card in the same round. Players who have already spent all transaction cards must pass in the round in which they substitute a block card, otherwise they must play a transaction card in that round.

The game continues in the manner described above until all of the transaction cards 20 have been played and one of the following conditions is reached:

-   -   1. There are no blocks that are available to be added to the         blockchain, or     -   2. None of the players have a block card 30 that can be used to         claim an available block and the deck of undistributed block         cards is exhausted.

When the game ends because of the occurrence of one of the above-described conditions, the player having the highest number of coin cards 42 wins.

Alternative Embodiments

In an alternative embodiment, the disclosed game can be played in digital form with a virtual gameboard, cards, and scoring presented to the user in one or more suitable displays. Such a version of the game can be played on any suitable computing device, including mobile devices such as smart phones, tablet computers, notebook computers, desktop computers, virtual reality headsets, and the like. Gameplay is substantially the same with all of the assets being digital rather than material.

Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the above disclosure and the practice of the teachings it comprises. Therefore, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to only the described embodiments. 

1. A method for playing a blockchain game, the method comprising: providing to each game player an equal number of transaction cards that each represents a blockchain transaction, each transaction card identifying a transaction value; providing to each game player a single block card that represents a blockchain block, the block card identifying a block value; in a first round of the game, each game player playing one of their transaction cards by adding it to a designated block space to form a block; and in a subsequent round of the game, a game player claiming a block that was created in a previous round, wherein, in order to successfully claim a block, the game player must play a block card having an identified block value that is equal to or greater than the sum of the transaction values of the transaction cards of the claimed block.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein each game player must play a transaction card or a block card each round unless the game player no longer has any transaction cards and does not have a block card that can be used to successfully claim a block.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the game players can replace their block card once per round with a new block card.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the game player who successfully claims a block by playing a block card receives a new block card that can be played in a later round.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein each block card also identifies a chain symbol and wherein, if a block was claimed in a previous round, the block card played by the player in the current round must have a chain symbol that matches a chain symbol of the block card that was used to claim the previously claimed block.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein coin cards representing cryptocurrency are associated with each previously created block, the number of the coin cards being equal to the sum of the transaction values of the transaction cards within the claimed block.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein when a game player successfully claims a block, the game player is permitted to add the transaction cards of the claimed block to a blockchain and collect the coin cards associated with the claimed block as a reward.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the game player who has the greatest number of coin cards at the end of the game wins the game.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the game ends when all of the transaction cards have been played and one of the following conditions is reached: (1) there are no blocks that are available to be added to the blockchain, or (2) none of the game players has a block card that can be used to claim an available block and all of the block cards have been played.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein when more than one game player wishes to claim the same block, the game player who can successfully claim the block is the game player with a qualifying block card having the lowest block value.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein when more than one game player plays a block card having the lowest block value, the game player who can successfully claim the block is the game player whose turn came later in the round.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein when there are game players who wish to claim different blocks in the same round, only the game player who wishes to claim the block with the highest transaction value sum can successfully claim a block in that round.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the game is played using a gameboard.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the gameboard includes designated block spaces on which blocks can be created, each block being created by placing one or more transaction cards on one of the block spaces.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the gameboard further includes a designated blockchain space to which transaction cards of a successfully claimed block are moved with the block card that was used to claim the successfully claimed block placed on top of the transaction cards facing upward so that its blockchain value is visible.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein multiple successfully claimed blocks and their associated block cards are successively stacked on top of each other in the designated blockchain space to represent all of the transactions of a blockchain.
 17. A blockchain game comprising: a plurality of transaction cards that represent blockchain transactions and that can be associated with each other to define a block, each transaction card identifying a transaction value; a plurality of block cards that represent blockchain blocks and that can be played to claim a block, each block card identifying a block value; and a gameboard including multiple block spaces on which transaction cards played in a given round of the game can be stacked and a blockchain space on which the transaction cards of successfully claimed blocks can be stacked along with the block card that was played to claim the block.
 18. The blockchain game of claim 17, wherein each block card further identifies at least one chain symbol.
 19. The blockchain game of claim 18, wherein there are four different blockchain symbols that are used in the game.
 20. The blockchain game of claim 17, further comprising a plurality of coin cards that represent cryptocurrency and that can be associated with each defined block in a number that is equivalent to the sum of the transaction values of the transaction cards that form that block. 